This invention relates to a binding machine for forming booklets from prepunched sheets, and more specifically, to an apparatus for applying curled-finger ring-type binder to prepunched sheets where the binders may be carried in a cartridge.
The use of plastic curled-finger ring-type edge binders for forming booklets with prepunched materials is known. One class of equipment is the office-style punch-and-binding machine as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,122,761; 3,125,887; 3,227,023; 3,793,660; and 4,645,399. These machines are used to apply ring-type edge binders to prepunched sheets, usually paper, so as to form bound booklets. A ring-type edge binder includes an elongated spine having a plurality of curled fingers spaced therealong. (See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,970,258.) Each finger has one end integral with one edge of the spine, and the other end of the finger is free but resiliently engages the other edge of the spine. In prior art machines, the binder was held in a comb and L-shaped machine fingers were manipulated to engage the binder fingers and to spread them from the spine so as to open the binder for fitting of prepunched sheets onto the open fingers and then to close the fingers so as to firm the booklet by binding the sheets together with the edge binder.
German Patentschrift 830636 and German Offenlegungsschrift 2362440 disclose a hand-operated paper editing device which is axially inserted into the end of a binder for spreading the fingers. U.S. Pat. No. 2,234,045 shows a tapered hand-operated opening device.
In recent developments an improved insertion tool and portable system has been developed for opening a binder and a binding booklet. (See also U.S. Pat. No. 4,900,211 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 346,918 filed May 1, 1989.)
In some circumstances, as in an office, a heavy-duty, faster and more flexible machine or apparatus is desirable. Moreover, it is desirable for such machines to employ a replaceable binder system from which booklets of different thicknesses and different colors can be formed and bound. This requires the selective use of different diameter and/or different color edge binders. A cartridge system which carries such edge binders is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 481,857 filed Feb. 20, 1990 and entitled "Cartridge System for Tool Insertion Type Binding Machine". Now U.S. Pat. No. 5,051,050.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an office-style binding machine suitable for using an insertion-type tool to open the binder and bind the sheets therewith.
It is another object of this invention to provide an office-style binding machine which is suitable for use with a cartridge carrying binders of different types.
These and other objects of this invention will become apparent from the following disclosure and appended claims.